1st July - MacBook Air fixed - Kudat

Tuesday 1^st July

Yesterday morning Pete and I spent a few hours struggling with our computers in the mercifully cool room provided by the yacht club.  We were hunched over our machines, with furrowed brows, and I thought we looked just too miserable for words.  I unfurled my iPad, turned it to selfie mode, scooted up next to Pete and made him laugh…

In the early afternoon we rode our trusty bikes

into Kudat, about five kilometres from the marina.  It is a small town, with a new(ish) area

and an old(ish) precinct. 

Not one of my better photos...

The best discovery for me was a competent young bloke in one of the Celcom shops… I left my little MacBook Air with him for a few hours, and when I came back – voila!  All sorted; I can use it again on the internet.  Oh the joy, the relief! 

Karaoke is BIG in Borneo

Recently we were chatting to some of the other people on the rally.  They are very deeply suspicious of the people here in Borneo.  They are, apparently, just looking for ways to rip us off.  They had a few examples of this.  For example, the marina office has asked for a 800 ringgit deposit from each boat.  This is a very big sum – about $265.  But…it is fully refunded after only a few days here, and maybe, just maybe, the office will make a few ringgits in interest on the sum.  We didn’t really think this was too egregious… But our new friends are highly incensed and have refused to tie up at the marina.  Instead they are tethered to the stone walls just outside the marina, rocking and rolling next to a whole lot of other boats which may or may not crush their small yacht.  So, bearing this in mind, how much would my young computer-fixer have wanted, for saving my little MacBook from cyberspace isolation??  Well I took out my wallet and he recoiled, saying NO NO!  Not necessary!  I hardly did anything!  I really wanted to give him 50 ringgits (approx. $16 but he was horrified, and very reluctantly accepted…5 ringgits… So much for being ripped off by the locals…

The best thing for Pete, in Kudat, was finding a small, narrow shop which sells bread supplies.  We have run out of bread flour and it is a very sad and sorry state of affairs… I have been making pancakes, and trying to make fascinating breakfast with Ryvita, but we both miss the lovely sourdough loaves Pete has been producing so competently.

Mum, Dad and Mohammed Ryan

The little family in the bread shop were very earnest and helpful.  This little toddler spends his days in there, I gather, unravelling this and that, trying to get his hands in the flour bags.  His mother and father are endlessly kind and patient.  I asked his name, and it is, of course, Mohammed.  But…his middle name is: Ryan!  And that is what they call him.  A very modern boy.

It is Ramadan and no Muslims can eat or drink, not even a drop of water, between dawn and 6.30pm.  It doesn’t finish until July 27^th.  I feel surges of panic on their behalf – I drink gallons of water all day long and am convinced I would be gasping on my deathbed if I didn’t have a constant supply at my fingertips.  But our cheery new friend in Immigration said it is very good, he enjoys the fast – it cleans out his system.  Mind you I think that between 630pm and midnight there is a LOT of eating and drinking, to make up for the long hot empty day.

While Pete went into Customs (yes we had to do the rounds of Customs, Immigration, Harbour Master, Quarantine, yet again.  And we will have to go back to check out in few days) I wandered over the a building where a few ladies were industriously sewing shroud-like garments at little tables under the shade.  I asked if I could take photos, and they immediately straightened up and started sewing really FAST.

A handsome young schoolboy felt the need to be included in the photo of his mother, and I noticed that just about every child just has to show two fingers, when being photographed.

A mother and her children were watching, and were very happy to be photographed as well.  And look – the little girl has her two fingers up as well…

The night before last we went to dinner at the nearby golf club with our Irish friends, Myra and Porric (SV Saol Eile)

Porric and Myra - Sailors Extraordinaires!

along with Rob (SV Jolie Brise) and the Jackster-ites, Dave and Jacqui.  It was a great evening – the Irish and the Brits are very funny, full of jokes and bonhomie.  But…the food was just awful.  I took a photo of Rob and Pete….

Not so joyful, these diners...

They had both ordered some sort of lamb, Malaysian style, and just look how much they are NOT enjoying it.  I heard Pete later telling George and Lies (SV Isis, Holland,) that they should order this meal because it would meet their vegetarian needs...

Last night we had drinks with Rob on Jolie Brise and it seemed like a good idea for me to go and prepare a meal for us all, on 2XS.  I created a delicious feast, with leftover chilli, fried onions and aubergine.  It all looked too pretty for words in our lovely new Langkawi bowls.  I put the three bowls on a stylish white plastic tray and…as soon as I had stepped out of the cabin…

Splash!

and

Slop!

Oh deary me… Pride goes before a fall…

This morning I took a photo of our new aubergines, because they are so very pretty, and they look just lovely with oranges, lemons, limes and…green mangoes… The mangoes have been exiled; they are not allowed inside the boat because they smell like durian.  Pete bought them at a fruit stall in Kudat and only realised when they were in his pack that the fruit lady had been cutting up huge durians right next to the mangoes.  

Durian smell is all-pervasive..